Camera assembly for electronic devices

ABSTRACT

In accordance with embodiments herein an electronic device is provided comprising a housing, a display, and a camera assembly including a camera and an articulating support that includes a base and a main leg joined to the base. The base and main leg movably coupled to the housing wherein movement of the articulating support defines camera alignment paths followed by the camera when moving between a retracted position and active positions.

BACKGROUND

Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to electronicdevices that include camera assemblies, and more particularly camerasimiles that offer enhanced features.

In recent years, various types of electronic devices have beendeveloped, such as personal computers, tablet devices, smart phones andthe like. Modern electronic devices offer a variety of features, some ofwhich utilize a camera that is built into the housing of the electronicdevice. A basic use of cameras, that are integrated into electronicdevices, relate to the capture of still and video images of the user andsurrounding environment, such as during a bidirectional audiovisualcommunication session (e.g. a FaceTime session, a videoconferencingsession and the like). For example, conventional laptop computersposition the integrated camera within a bezel surrounding the display.The camera is generally centered above the display in order to capturethe user's image while watching the display or otherwise interactingthrough the laptop computer during an audiovisual communicationssession.

However, as technology advances, the form factor of electronic devicescontinues to be reduced. As the size of electronic devices is reduced,the real estate available for holding a camera becomes more challenging.For example, in laptop computers, as the computer's dimensions arereduced, the space within the bezel surrounding the display similarly isreduced. The reductions in real estate are not limited to the XYdirection across the width and height of the device housing (or displaypart). In addition, the cameras located within the bezel have arelatively fixed field of view based upon the position and orientationof the computer display.

To further complicate the foregoing challenges, an ongoing demand existsto provide more enhanced features in electronic devices. Some enhancedfeatures relate to enhanced camera functionality. By way of example, ademand exists for cameras that support enhanced feature cameras. Oneexample of an enhanced feature camera is a three-dimensional (3D) camerathat supports gesture detection and 3D scanning. The 3D camera oranother type of camera with enhanced features may provide gazedetection, eye tracking, facial detection, iris authentication and thelike. In order to take advantage of some enhanced features, it may bedesirable to orient the camera in various positions and alignments.Cameras built into the bezel of a laptop computer or other electronicdevices are not readily adjustable two different camera positions andalignments.

Also, cameras that offer enhanced features have a corresponding largerform factor, as compared to cameras with fewer features. The featurerich cameras utilize lenses, multiple sensors and other components thatresult in a bigger or thicker camera module, as compared to cameras withminimal features. Consequently, a difficulty exists in positioningfeature rich cameras within electronic devices while still affordingflexibility in the alignment in orientation of the camera.

A need remains for electronic devices having feature-rich cameras andmethods of utilizing such electronic devices.

SUMMARY

In accordance with embodiments herein an electronic device is providedcomprising a housing, a display, and a camera assembly including acamera and an articulating support that includes a base and a main legjoined to the base. The base and main leg are movably coupled to thehousing such that the articulating support defines camera alignmentpaths followed by the camera when moving between a retracted positionand active positions.

Optionally, the main leg is located at least partially behind thedisplay when in the retracted position. The base is elongated along abase longitudinal axis and is held in a cavity provided in the housing.The base slides along a translation path, corresponding to thelongitudinal axis, between a retract position within the cavity and anextended position projecting from the cavity. The translation path mayrepresent one of the alignment paths.

The main leg is located proximate to a back wall of the housing when thebase is in the retracted position within the cavity and the main leg islocated laterally outward from an edge of the housing when the base isin the extended position. The display is positioned within and defines adisplay plane that includes the display and the display plane extendinglaterally beyond edges of the housing. The articulating support movesalong a rotational path that traverses the display plane, the rotationalpath representing one of the alignment paths.

The articulating support further comprises an upper lever arm movablycoupled to the main leg at a hinge that defines a pivot path having arange of motion that at least partially crosses in front of a front faceof the display. The pivot path may represent one of the alignment paths.The pivot path rotates about a pivot axis extending along a length ofthe main leg. The hinge includes a multi-action hinge that rotates thelever arm relative to the main leg about the pivot path. Themulti-action hinge tilts the camera about a swivel path, the swivel pathrotation about a swivel axis that extends along a length of theextension arm, the swivel path representing one of the alignment paths.

The camera may represent a 3D camera. The electronic device furthercomprises memory and one or more processors coupled to the camera. Theone or more processors executes program instructions stored in thememory to perform a 3D scanning operation of an object of interest in afield of view of the 3D camera. The electronic device further comprisesmemory and one or more processors coupled to the camera. The one or moreprocessors execute program instructions stored in the memory to performgesture detection of an object of interest in a field of view of the 3Dcamera.

The articulating support moves the camera between active positions thatinclude one or more of: a birds eye view in which the main leg isoriented in a generally horizontal direction or approximatelyperpendicular relative to a front face of the display, a frontal sceneview in which the main leg is oriented in a generally vertical or commondirection with the front face of the display, or an intermediateposition to provide an overview in which the main leg is oriented at anintermediate angle relative to the front face of the display.

In accordance with embodiments herein a method is provided comprisingproviding an electronic device with a camera assembly including a cameraand an articulating support that includes a base and a main leg joinedto the base. The method movably couples the base and main leg to thehousing to define camera alignment paths followed by the camera whenmoving between a retracted position and active positions.

The method further comprises locating the main leg at least partiallybehind the display when in the retracted position. The base is elongatedalong a base longitudinal axis. The method further comprising holdingthe base in a cavity provided in the housing such that the base slidesalong a translation path, corresponding to the longitudinal axis,between a retract position within the cavity and an extended positionprojecting from the cavity, the translation path representing one of thealignment paths.

The method further comprises locating the main leg proximate to a backwall of the housing when the base is in the retracted position withinthe cavity and locating the main leg laterally outward from an edge ofthe housing when the base is in the extended position. Optionally, themethod may move the articulating support along a rotational path thattraverses a display plane defined by the display, the rotational pathrepresenting one of the alignment paths.

The method further comprises movably coupling an upper lever arm to themain leg to define a pivot path having a range of motion that at leastpartially crosses in front of a front face of the display, the pivotpath representing one of the alignment paths, the pivot path rotatingabout a pivot axis extending along a length of the main leg.

The upper lever arm is coupled to the main leg in a manner that enablesrotation of the lever arm relative to the main leg about the pivot path,and enables tilting the camera about a swivel path, the swivel pathrotation about a swivel axis that extends along a length of theextension arm, the swivel path representing one of the alignment paths.The method may perform a 3D scanning operation of an object of interestin a field of view of the camera.

The camera alignment paths support movement of the camera between activepositions that include one or more of: a birds eye view in which themain leg is oriented in a generally horizontal direction orapproximately perpendicular relative to a front face of the display, afrontal scene view in which the main leg is oriented in a generallyvertical or common direction with the front face of the display, anintermediate position to provide an overview in which the main leg isoriented at an intermediate angle relative to the front face of thedisplay.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a rear perspective view of an electronic deviceformed in accordance with an embodiment herein.

FIG. 2A illustrates side plan views of the camera assembly while indifferent active positions relative to the display in accordance withembodiments herein.

FIG. 2B illustrates side plan views of the camera assembly while indifferent active positions relative to the display in accordance withembodiments herein.

FIG. 2C illustrates side plan views of the camera assembly while indifferent active positions relative to the display in accordance withembodiments herein.

FIG. 3A illustrates perspective views of the interconnection of the baseand main leg in more detail in accordance with an embodiment herein.

FIG. 3B illustrates perspective views of the interconnection of the baseand main leg in more detail in accordance with an embodiment herein.

FIG. 4 illustrates a perspective view of the upper lever arm formed inaccordance with embodiments herein.

FIG. 5A illustrates graphical representations of different positions andorientations supported by the camera assembly in accordance withembodiments herein.

FIG. 5B illustrates the camera assembly with the main leg located behindthe front face of the housing in accordance with embodiments herein.

FIG. 5C illustrates the camera assembly with the main leg located behindthe front face of the housing in accordance with embodiments herein.

FIG. 6A illustrates perspective views of internal components of amulti-action hinge formed in accordance with embodiments herein.

FIG. 6B illustrates a portion of the hinge in accordance withembodiments herein.

FIG. 7 illustrates a front side perspective view of the camera assemblyin an example position and orientation in accordance with embodimentsherein.

FIG. 8 illustrates a perspective view of the interconnection between themain leg and the lever arm, while positioned in oriented as illustratedin FIG. 7 in accordance with embodiments herein.

FIG. 9 illustrates a block diagram of an electronic device in accordancewith embodiments herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

It will be readily understood that the components of the embodiments asgenerally described and illustrated in the FIGS. herein, may be arrangedand designed in a wide variety of different configurations in additionto the described example embodiments. Thus, the following more detaileddescription of the example embodiments, as represented in the FIGS., isnot intended to limit the scope of the embodiments, as claimed, but ismerely representative of example embodiments.

Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment” or “anembodiment” (or the like) means that a particular feature, structure, orcharacteristic described in connection with the embodiment is includedin at least one embodiment. Thus, appearances of the phrases “in oneembodiment” or “in an embodiment” or the like in various placesthroughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to thesame embodiment.

Furthermore, the described features, structures, or characteristics maybe combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. In thefollowing description, numerous specific details are provided to give athorough understanding of embodiments. One skilled in the relevant artwill recognize, however, that the various embodiments can be practicedwithout one or more of the specific details, or with other methods,components, materials, etc. In other instances, well-known structures,materials, or operations are not shown or described in detail to avoidobfuscation. The following description is intended only by way ofexample, and simply illustrates certain example embodiments.

FIG. 1 illustrates a rear perspective view of an electronic device 100formed in accordance with an embodiment herein. The electronic devicemay simply represent a monitor or display device for a computer,television or other device. Optionally, the electronic device mayrepresent a computer, tablet device, phone TV and the like. Theelectronic device 100 includes a camera assembly 120 and a display 110.The display 110 includes a housing 112 having a front face 114 and aback wall 116. The housing 112 is secured to a support stand 136 havinga footing 139. Optionally, the housing 112 may be provided in connectionwith, or integrated into, various electronic devices, such as a laptopcomputer, tablet device, telephone, television, printer and the like.The camera assembly 120 may be provided with alternative types ofelectronic devices, additional examples of which are described hereinand are well known.

The camera assembly 120 is movably mounted to the housing 112. Thecamera assembly 120 includes an articulating support 126 that retains acamera 118 and enables the camera 118 to be translated and rotatedrelative to the display 110 in multiple paths and about multiple axes.The articulating support 126 is movable between a retracted position andan active position, where the retracted position is located at leastpartially behind the display 110. As explained herein, the articulatingsupport 126 enables the user to pull the articulating support 126 frombehind the display 110 and rotate it forward to position the camera 118at a desired positions and orientations in connection with variousoperations, such as 3-D scanning, document photography, desktopphotography, gesture detection, videoconferencing and the like. Thearticulating support 126 includes a base 122 (FIG. 3A), a main leg 124and an upper lever arm 128 (FIG. 4). The base 122 is joined to one endof the main leg 124. An opposite end of the main leg 124 is movablycoupled to the upper lever arm 128. The base 122, main leg 124 and leverarm 128 are joined to one another and movably coupled to the housing 112such that the articulating support 126 defines camera alignment pathsfollowed by the camera 118 when moved between a retracted position andvarious active positions. The articulating support 126 holds the camera118 at a desired active position once the user positions the camera 118as desired.

The housing 112 includes a base retention bracket 132 that receives, andsupports translation and rotation of, the base 122. In the example ofFIG. 1, the base retention bracket 132 is provided on the back wall 116of the housing 112. The base retention bracket 132 may be formedintegral with or separately from the housing 112. Optionally, the baseretention bracket 132 may be positioned at other locations upon thehousing 112, such as along upper, lower or side edges 102-105 of thehousing 112. Optionally, the base retention bracket 132 may be providedon the support stand 136.

The camera assembly 120 enables the camera 118 to be adjusted alongcamera alignment paths in numerous directions about various, rotational,pivotal and translational paths. Examples of the camera alignment pathsinclude lateral translation paths such as an inward path 146, an outwardpath 148, a rotational path 140, a pivot path 154, a swivel path 156, anextension path 168 and the like. In accordance with some embodiments,the main leg 124 is located at least partially behind the display 110when in the retracted position. In accordance with at least oneembodiment, the base 122 extends along, and defines, a base longitudinalaxis 138. The base 122 is rotatable about the base longitudinal axis 138along a rotational path 140, and is translatable along the baselongitudinal axis 138 when following the inward path 146 and outwardpath 148. The main leg 124 extends along a leg longitudinal axis 150,while the upper lever arm 128 extends along an arm longitudinal axis152. The upper lever arm 128 is coupled to the main leg 124 in a mannersuch that the upper lever arm 128 is able to turn to face in differentdirections about pivot path 154. The upper lever arm 128 is also able tobe tilted along a swivel path 156. The display 110 is positioned withinand defines a display plane 111 (denoted in dashed lines in FIG. 1) thatincludes the display 110. The display plane 111 extends laterally beyondthe edges of the housing 112. The articulating support 126 moves alongthe rotational path 140 that intersects and traverses the display plane111.

In the example of FIG. 1, the main leg 124 is formed as a single unitwith a predetermined fixed length. Optionally, the main leg 124 may beformed as a multi-piece telescoping arm that extends and contracts alongthe longitudinal axis 150, thereby providing a camera alignment paththat represents the extension path 168. The use of a telescoping armallows the user to adjust the camera 118 upward and downward to selectheights relative to the display 110, a user, and a workspace.

FIGS. 2A-2C illustrates side plan views of the camera assembly 120 whilein different active positions relative to the display 110 (morespecifically, relative to a plane of the front face 114 of the display110). FIG. 2A illustrates the camera assembly 120 while positioned toprovide a frontal scene view in which the main leg 124 is oriented in agenerally vertical or common direction with the plane of the display110. FIG. 2B illustrates the camera assembly 120 while rotated andpointed downward to provide a birds eye view in which the main leg 124is oriented in a generally horizontal direction or approximatelyperpendicular (e.g. 85° to 110°) relative to the display 110. Whilepositioned downward, the camera 118 is oriented such that the field ofview 160 faces downward onto a work surface 162 proximate to the display110. By way of example only, the field of view 160 may be oriented toface the work surface 162 such as in connection with gesture detectionand/or three-dimensional scanning of objects, documents, the keyboard, auser's hands and other items located on the work surface 162.

FIG. 2C illustrates the camera assembly 120 while positioned at anintermediate position to provide an overview in which the main leg 124is oriented at an intermediate angle 164 (e.g. 5° to 85°) relative tothe display 110. The camera 118 is tilted to direct the field of view160 onto the work surface 162, but from a greater height 166, ascompared to the birds eye view of FIG. 2B. It is recognized that theviews and positions illustrated in FIGS. 2A-2C are only examples andthat the camera assembly 120 may be positioned in numerous otherorientations and positions.

FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate perspective views of the interconnection ofthe base 122 and main leg 124 in more detail in accordance with anembodiment herein. The retention bracket 132 includes an open endedtubular cavity 134 that is shaped and dimensioned to receive the base122. The base 122 is tubular in shape and extends along the longitudinalaxis 138. As illustrated in FIG. 3A, the retention bracket 132 includesa notched opening 158 that forms a gap between the retention bracket 132and back wall 116 the display 110 (FIG. 1). When not in use, the mainleg 124 is rotated to align with the notched opening 158 and the base122 is translated along the inward path 146 until the main leg 124 fitsinto the notched opening 158. FIG. 3B illustrates the main leg 124 aspositioned in the notched opening 158 and with the base 122 fullyretracted into the cavity 134. The main leg 124 is located proximate tothe back wall 116 of the housing 112 when the base 122 is in theretracted position within the cavity 134.

To move the main leg 124 from the retracted position to one of variousactive positions, the base 122 slides along a translation pathcorresponding to the longitudinal axis 138, between the retractedposition (FIG. 3B) within the cavity 134 and an extended positionprojecting from the cavity 134. The translation path represents one ofthe alignment paths. In the example of FIG. 3A, the base 122 slidesalong the outward path 148 until the main leg 124 clears (e.g. extendslaterally outward beyond) the notched opening 158 and the side edge 104of the display 110. When the main leg 124 is positioned laterallyoutward beyond the side edge 115, the main leg 124 may then be rotatedabout the rotational path 140.

Optionally, a push push spring device 166 may be located within thecavity 134 and engage an interior end of the base 122 to facilitatemovement of the main leg 124 out of the notched opening 158. Forexample, the push push spring device 166 may operate such that when auser pushes a first time on the base 122 along the inward path 146, thespring device 166 retains the main leg 124 within the notched opening158. When the user pushes a second time on the base 122, the springwithin the spring device 166 applies a force along the outward path 148upon the base 122 to force the main leg 124 out of the notched opening158.

FIG. 4 illustrates a perspective view of the upper lever arm 128 formedin accordance with embodiments herein. The lever arm 128 in FIG. 4 islocated proximate to an upper edge 102 of the display 110, with thecamera 118 field of view oriented to face in a common direction as thefront face 114 of the display 110. For example, the camera 118 may bepositioned in a stationary location above the display 110, such as inconnection with affording a desired viewing angle duringvideoconferencing and other operations. While not shown in FIG. 4, themain leg 124 (FIG. 1) of the camera assembly 120 is positioned behindthe housing 112 proximate to the rear wall of the housing 112 in theretracted position. As shown in FIG. 4, even though the articulatingsupport 120 is in the retracted position, the camera 118 is stillfunctional.

The lever arm 128 includes a body 410 that is elongated along thelongitudinal axis 152. The body 410 includes a generally curved rearportion 412 and flat front surface 414. Optionally, alternativecontours, shapes and sizes may be utilized. The camera 118 is mounted inthe body 410 and located at a central area of the front surface 414. Thecamera 118 is communicatively coupled to sensors 416-418 that collectvarious types of information in connection with performingthree-dimensional scanning, gesture detection, capturing 2D and 3D stillor video images, and other operations. The sensors 416-418 aredistributed along the longitudinal axis 152 and positioned on oppositesides of the camera 118, although alternative sensor configurations maybe utilized. One or more lights 420 are provided along the body 410 andmay be turned on and off to facilitate collection of information by thecamera 118. The light 420 may be utilized by the user to eliminate adesktop or an object being scanned. The light 420 may also be used as aflash in connection with taking 2-D or 3-D photographs in a darkenvironment.

A shutter 422 (denoted in dashed lines) is held within a slot within thebody 410. The shutter 422 is positioned to cover and expose the camera118. The shutter 422 is attached to a post 424 that slides along a slot426 provided in the body 410. A user manually slides the post 424 alongthe slot 426 to open and close the shutter 422. Alternatively oradditionally, shutters may be provided to cover and expose one or moreof the sensors 416-418. Optionally, alternative shutter designs may beused. For example, the shutter(s) may be electronically controlled toopen and close (e.g., based on operation of the camera).

The body 410 is elongated with a proximal end 428 and a distal end 430.Optionally, the proximal end 428 may include a grooved exterior surfaceto facilitate gripping by a user when tilting the camera 118 in adesired direction. A multi-action hinge 432 is provided at the proximalend 428 of the body 410. The multi-action hinge 432 couples the leverarm 128 to the main leg 124 (FIG. 1) in a manner that enables movementbetween the body 410 and main leg 124 along two or more paths. In theembodiment of FIG. 4, the hinge 432 enables the body 410 to pivot aboutleg longitudinal axis 150 and arm longitudinal axis 152 (both of whichare also illustrated in FIG. 1). The lever arm 128 rotates along thepivot path 154 within a predetermined pivot range between pivot limits.The body 410 tilts/rotates along a swivel path 156 within apredetermined swivel range between swivel limits. The pivot and swivellimits may be varied and are set within the hinge 432. Optionally, themulti-action hinge 432 may be simplified to support movement in only oneof the pivotal and swivel paths 154 and 156.

FIGS. 5A-5C illustrates graphical representations of different positionsand orientations supported by the camera assembly 120. It is recognizedthat FIGS. 5A-5C are only examples and the camera 118 may be located atany point along a continuous range of other positions and orientations.FIG. 5A illustrates the camera assembly 120 while the main leg 124 islocated behind the front face 114 of the housing 112. In the example ofFIG. 5A, the lever arm 128 is pivoted about the longitudinal axis 150 inan approximate 90° clockwise direction. The camera 118 is swiveled toface in a direction generally to the left of the housing 112 (the leftand right directions a relative to a user sitting in front of thedisplay 110 and facing the front face 114.). As one example, a pivotlimit may be provided within the hinge 432 to prevent the lever arm 128from being pivoted/rotated clockwise any further than the position shownin FIG. 5A, corresponding to at an approximate 90° clockwise angle (asviewed from the top down).

FIG. 5B illustrates the camera assembly 120 with the main leg 124located behind the front face 114 of the housing 112. The lever arm 128is pivoted in a counterclockwise direction until facing in a lateraldirection, such as to the right of the display 110 (relative to a usersitting in front of the display 110 and facing the front face 114). Forexample, the lever arm 128 may be swiveled and a counterclockwisedirection by approximately 90° from the plane of the front face 114.

FIG. 5C illustrates the camera assembly 120 with the main leg 124located behind the front face 114 of the housing 112. The lever arm 128is pivoted in a counterclockwise direction until facing in a lateraldirection, such as to the right of the display 110 (relative to a usersitting in front of the display 110 and facing the front face 114). Forexample, the lever arm 128 may be swiveled and a counterclockwisedirection by approximately 90° from the plane of the front face 114.

FIGS. 6A and 6B illustrate perspective views of internal components of amulti-action hinge 432 formed in accordance with embodiments herein.With reference to FIG. 6A, the hinge 432 is mounted on an end 464 of themain leg 124. A post 458 is formed integral with the main leg 124. Acollar 456 is rotatably mounted over the post 458. The collar 456 issecured to a pin 470 that extends radially outward from one side of thecollar 456. The pin 470 is coupled to a proximal end of the lever arm128. The collar 456 rotates relative to the post 458 to enable the pivotmotion discussed herein between the lever arm 128 and the main leg 124.The collar 456 includes notched ledges 466 and 468 that define pivotlimits for the range of pivotal motion permitted by the hinge 432between the lever arm 128 and main leg 124.

FIG. 6B illustrates a portion of the hinge 432 in accordance withembodiments herein. In FIG. 6B, a portion of the collar 456 is removedto illustrate other features of the hinge 432. A standoff 472 is mountedto the end 464 of the main leg 128. The standoff 472 is positioned toengage the notched ledges 466 and 468 on the collar 456 to define pivotlimits associated with the pivot range that the lever arm 128 may berotated/pivoted relative to the main leg 124.

FIG. 7 illustrates a front side perspective view of the camera assembly120 in an example position and orientation. To reach the position andorientation illustrated in FIG. 7, the articulating support 126 has beentranslated in the outward direction 148 until the main leg 124 clearsthe edge of the display. The main leg 124 is then rotated in thedirection of arrow 740 until the main leg 124 is generally horizontal.The lever arm 128 is pivoted and swiveled such that the lever armextends upward from the main leg 124, with the camera 118 oriented tohave a field of view facing an area in front of the display 110. It maybe desirable to position the camera 118 as illustrated in FIG. 7 for avariety of uses, such as in connection with videoconferencing, gesturedetection and the like.

The base 122 is rotatably mounted a select height 180 above the bottomor lower edge 103 of the display 110. Optionally, the height 180 may bemeasured from the working surface on which the display 110 is mounted.The height 180 is selected such that, when the main leg 124 is in agenerally horizontal alignment, the camera 118 be located in a desired,relatively close proximity to the workspace, and thereby facilitate 2-Dor 3-D scanning or illumination of objects on the workspace. By way ofexample only, the height 180 may be approximately ⅓ of the overallheight (as measured between the upper and lower edges 102 and 103) ofthe display 110.

FIG. 8 illustrates a perspective view of the interconnection between themain leg 124 and the lever arm 128, while positioned in oriented asillustrated in FIG. 7. The hinge 432 has been rotated about the leglongitudinal axis 150 and pivoted about the arm longitudinal axis 152 toposition and orient the camera as desired.

By way of example, the camera 118 may represent the REALSENSE 3D™ cameraoffered by Intel Corporation, and the application 924 may represent thesoftware and/or firmware provided in connection with the REALSENSE 3D™camera for performing 3D scanning and/or gesture detection. As anotherexample, the camera 118 may represent the SPROUT™ camera offered by HPCorporation, and the application 924 may represent the software and/orfirmware provided in connection therewith for performing 3D scanning. Asa further example, the application 924 may implement gesture detectionas described in U.S. Pat. No. 9,024,958, titled “Buffering mechanism forcamera-based gesturing”, issuing on May 5, 2015, the complete subjectmatter of which is expressly incorporated herein by reference in itsentirety. The application 924 may include other conventional 3D scanningand gesture detection software.

FIG. 9 illustrates a block diagram of an electronic device 900 (e.g.computer monitor, television, a laptop computer, tablet devices, smartphone and the like), corresponding to electronic device 100, whichincludes components such as one or more wireless transceivers 902, oneor more processors 904 (e.g., a microprocessor, microcomputer,application-specific integrated circuit, etc.), one or more localstorage medium (also referred to as a memory portion) 906, a display946, a user interface 908 which includes one or more input devices 909and one or more output devices 910, a power module 912, a cameraassembly 920, a display interface 944 and a network interface 928. Thecomponents can be operatively coupled to one another, and can be incommunication with one another, by way of one or more internalcommunication links 916, such as an internal bus.

The processor 904 performs the disclosed operations by executing thesequences of operational instructions that comprise each computerprogram resident in, or operative on, the memory 906. The memory 906 mayinclude operating system, administrative, and database programs thatsupport the programs disclosed in this application.

The housing 948 of the electronic device 900 holds the processor(s) 904,local storage medium 906, user interface 908, the camera assembly 950and other components. The camera assembly 950 collects data inconnection with one or more viewer characteristics of interest (COI).The camera assembly 950 may represent a 2D or 3D still or video camerathat collects still or video image frames. A lens 914 is optically andcommunicatively coupled to the camera assembly 950. The lens 914 may bemounted at various locations on the housing 912. Optionally, multiplelenses 914 may be positioned at various distributed positions within, orabout the perimeter of the housing 912. The camera assembly 950 mayrepresent various types of 2-D or 3-D still or video cameras, detectionunits and the like. The camera assembly 950 may be utilized inconnection with various modes of operation, such as 2-D or 3-D scanning,gesture detection and the like. The camera assembly 950 may furtherinclude a lens 914 and one or more detectors 915, such as a chargecoupled device (CCD). The detector 915 may be coupled to a localprocessor (e.g., digital camera unit 920) within the camera assembly 950that analyzes image frame data captured. The camera assembly 950 mayinclude one or multiple combinations of detectors and lens. For example,an array of two or more detector/lens combinations may be spaced apartfrom one another. When multiple detectors/lens are used, eachdetector/lens combination may be oriented in at least partiallydifferent directions, such that the fields of view of the respectivedetector/lens combinations encompass different areas.

Additionally or alternatively, the camera assembly 950 may collect datarelated to a field of view other than image frames. For example, thecamera assembly 950 may represent one or more infrared (IR) lightemitting diode (LED) based-camera devices. For example, one or moreIR-LED emitters 918 may be used to illuminate the field of view with oneor more select wavelengths of light (e.g., 880 nm). A high pass filter(HPF) element may be located with the lens 914 such that the HPF elementpasses infrared light with a select wavelength (e.g., 800 nm). TheIR-LED emitter 918 and detector 915 represent one type of camera thatcollects data related to a field of view.

It is recognized that the camera assembly 950 may be housed within anyof the various articulating supports described and illustrated herein,including an entirely detachable articulating support as illustratedherein.

The input and output devices 909, 910 may each include a variety ofvisual, audio, and/or mechanical devices. For example, the input devices909 can include a visual input device such as an optical sensor orcamera, an audio input device such as a microphone, and a mechanicalinput device such as a keyboard, keypad, selection hard and/or softbuttons, switch, touchpad, touch screen, icons on a touch screen, atouch sensitive areas on a touch sensitive screen and/or any combinationthereof. Similarly, the output devices 910 can include a visual outputdevice such as a liquid crystal display screen, one or more lightemitting diode indicators, an audio output device such as a speaker,alarm and/or buzzer, and a mechanical output device such as a vibratingmechanism. The display may be touch sensitive to various types of touchand gestures. As further examples, the output device(s) 910 may includea touch sensitive screen, a non-touch sensitive screen, a text-onlydisplay, a smart phone display, an audio output (e.g., a speaker orheadphone jack), and/or any combination thereof. The user interface 908permits the user to select one or more of a switch, button or icon inconnection with normal operation of the electronic device 900.

The local storage medium 906 may encompass one or more memory devices ofany of a variety of forms (e.g., read only memory, random access memory,static random access memory, dynamic random access memory, etc.) and canbe used by the processor 904 to store and retrieve data. The data thatis stored by the local storage medium 906 can include, but need not belimited to, operating systems, applications, streaming video content,resolution maps, viewer COls, display attributes and informational data.Each operating system includes executable code that controls basicfunctions of the communication device, such as interaction among thevarious components, communication with external devices via the wirelesstransceivers 902, the network interface 928 and/or the display componentinterface 914, and storage and retrieval of applications and data to andfrom the local storage medium 906. Each application includes executablecode that utilizes an operating system to provide more specificfunctionality for the communication devices, such as file system serviceand handling of protected and unprotected data stored in the localstorage medium 906.

The local storage medium 906 stores various content, including but notlimited to video content 917, one or more still images, viewercharacteristics of interest 930 such as viewing distance 931, positiondata 932, line of sight (LOS) data 934, lighting level, and the like.The video content 917 may represent various types of graphical and videocontent including audio content.

Other applications stored in the local storage medium 906 includevarious application program interfaces (APIs). Additionally, theapplications stored in the local storage medium 906 include a scanningapplication 924 representing program instructions that direct one ormore processors to 2-D or 3-D scanning, gesture detection and the like.For example, when the lens is located below the line of sight, theimages may, if left uncorrected, present a bottom-up view of a user'schin and nose. The application 924 may perform image processing upon theimages as collected to shift the perspective of the view upward suchthat the users chin and nose are not as noticeable. The application 924includes program instructions accessible by the processor 904 to directthe processor 904 to implement the methods, processes and operationsdescribed herein.

In accordance with embodiments herein, the application 924 may identifyfacial features, eye movement, line of sight of the eyes and the like.In connection with gesture detection, the camera assembly 950 collects aseries of image data frames 930 associated with the scene over a selectperiod of time. For example, the camera assembly 950 may begin tocapture the image data frames 930 when the application 924 sensesmovement of the room. Image frame data 930 may be collected for apredetermined period of time, for a select number of frames or based onother data collection criteria. For example, the camera assembly 950 mayinclude capturing image frame data which may represent a viewer's facewith the camera, hands, objects, from which movement is calculatedutilizing the processor.

The processor 904, under control of the application 924, analyzes one ormore image data frames 930, to perform various desired operations.Optionally, the processor 904, under the control of the application 924,may determine the line of sight associated with one or more viewers,such as to identify who is watching a television. The LOS data 934 mayrepresent a gaze direction vector defined with respect to a coordinatesystem. For example, the gaze direction vector may be defined withrespect to a polar coordinate system, where a reference point and originof the polar coordinate system are located at a known position.

The power module 912 preferably includes a power supply, such as abattery, for providing power to the other components while enabling theelectronic device 900 to be portable, as well as circuitry providing forthe battery to be recharged. The component interface 914 provides adirect connection to other devices, auxiliary components, or accessoriesfor additional or enhanced functionality, and in particular, can includea USB port for linking to a user device with a USB cable.

Each transceiver 902 can utilize a known wireless technology forcommunication and receiving wireless streaming video content. Exemplaryoperation of the wireless transceivers 902 in conjunction with othercomponents of the electronic device 900 may take a variety of forms andmay include, for example, operation in which, upon reception of wirelesssignals, the components of electronic device 900 detect communicationsignals and the transceiver demodulates the communication signals torecover incoming information, such as video content, transmitted by thewireless signals.

It should be clearly understood that the various arrangements andprocesses broadly described and illustrated with respect to the FIGS.,and/or one or more individual components or elements of sucharrangements and/or one or more process operations associated of suchprocesses, can be employed independently from or together with one ormore other components, elements and/or process operations described andillustrated herein. Accordingly, while various arrangements andprocesses are broadly contemplated, described and illustrated herein, itshould be understood that they are provided merely in illustrative andnon-restrictive fashion, and furthermore can be regarded as but mereexamples of possible working environments in which one or morearrangements or processes may function or operate.

Aspects are described herein with reference to the FIGS., whichillustrate example methods, devices and program products according tovarious example embodiments. These program instructions may be providedto a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer,or other programmable data processing device or information handlingdevice to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which executevia a processor of the device implement the functions/acts specified.The program instructions may also be stored in a device readable mediumthat can direct a device to function in a particular manner, such thatthe instructions stored in the device readable medium produce an articleof manufacture including instructions which implement the function/actspecified. The program instructions may also be loaded onto a device tocause a series of operational steps to be performed on the device toproduce a device implemented process such that the instructions whichexecute on the device provide processes for implementing thefunctions/acts specified.

It is to be understood that the subject matter described herein is notlimited in its application to the details of construction and thearrangement of components set forth in the description herein orillustrated in the drawings hereof. The subject matter described hereinis capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of beingcarried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that thephraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose ofdescription and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of“including,” “comprising,” or “having” and variations thereof herein ismeant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereofas well as additional items.

It is to be understood that the above description is intended to beillustrative, and not restrictive. For example, the above-describedembodiments (and/or aspects thereof) may be used in combination witheach other. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt aparticular situation or material to the teachings herein withoutdeparting from its scope. While the dimensions, types of materials andcoatings described herein are intended to define various parameters,they are by no means limiting and are illustrative in nature. Many otherembodiments will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reviewingthe above description. The scope of the embodiments should, therefore,be determined with reference to the appended claims, along with the fullscope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled. In the appendedclaims, the terms “including” and “in which” are used as theplain-English equivalents of the respective terms “comprising” and“wherein.” Moreover, in the following claims, the terms “first,”“second,” and “third,” etc. are used merely as labels, and are notintended to impose numerical requirements on their objects or order ofexecution on their acts.

What is claimed is:
 1. An electronic device, comprising: a housing; adisplay; and a camera assembly including a camera and an articulatingsupport that includes a base and a main leg joined to the base, the baseand main leg movably coupled to the housing wherein movement of thearticulating support defines camera alignment paths followed by thecamera when moving between a retracted position and active positions. 2.The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the main leg is located atleast partially behind the display when in the retracted position. 3.The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the base is elongated along abase longitudinal axis and is held in a cavity provided in the housingand wherein the base slides along a translation path, corresponding tothe longitudinal axis, between a retracted position within the cavityand an extended position projecting from the cavity, the translationpath representing one of the alignment paths.
 4. The electronic deviceof claim 3, wherein the main leg is located proximate to a back wall ofthe housing when the base is in the retracted position within the cavityand the main leg is located laterally outward from an edge of thehousing when the base is in the extended position.
 5. The electronicdevice of claim 1, wherein the display is positioned within and definesa display plane that includes the display, the display plane extendinglaterally beyond edges of the housing, and wherein the articulatingsupport moves along a rotational path that traverses the display plane,the rotational path representing one of the alignment paths.
 6. Theelectronic device of claim 1, wherein the articulating support furthercomprises an upper lever arm coupled to the main leg that defines apivot path having a range of motion that at least partially crosses infront of a front face of the display, the pivot path representing one ofthe alignment paths, the pivot path rotating about a pivot axisextending along a length of the main leg.
 7. The electronic device ofclaim 6, wherein the hinge includes a multi-action hinge that rotatesthe lever arm relative to the main leg about the pivot path, themulti-action hinge tilting the camera about a swivel path, the swivelpath rotation about a swivel axis that extends along a length of theextension arm, the swivel path representing one of the alignment paths.8. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the camera comprises a 3Dcamera.
 9. The electronic device of claim 8, further comprising memoryand one or more processors coupled to the camera, wherein the one ormore processors execute program instructions stored in the memory toperform a 3D scanning operation of an object of interest in a field ofview of the 3D camera.
 10. The electronic device of claim 8, furthercomprising memory and one or more processors coupled to the camera,wherein the one or more processors execute program instructions storedin the memory to perform gesture detection of an object of interest in afield of view of the 3D camera.
 11. The electronic device of claim 1,wherein the articulating support moves the camera between activepositions that include one or more of; i) a birds eye view in which themain leg is oriented in a generally horizontal direction orapproximately perpendicular relative to a front face of the display, ii)a frontal scene view in which the main leg is oriented in a generallyvertical or common direction with the front face of the display, iii) anintermediate position to provide an overview in which the main leg isoriented at an intermediate angle relative to the front face of thedisplay.
 12. A method comprising: providing an electronic device with acamera assembly including a camera and an articulating support thatincludes a base and a main leg joined to the base; and movably couplingthe base and main leg to the housing to define camera alignment pathsfollowed by the camera when moving between a retracted position andactive positions.
 13. The method of claim 12, further comprisinglocating the main leg at least partially behind the display when in theretracted position.
 14. The method of claim 12, wherein the base iselongated along a base longitudinal axis, the method further comprisingholding the base in a cavity provided in the housing wherein the baseslides along a translation path, corresponding to the longitudinal axis,between a retract position within the cavity and an extended positionprojecting from the cavity, the translation path representing one of thealignment paths.
 15. The method of claim 12, further comprising locatingthe main leg proximate to a back wall of the housing when the base is inthe retracted position within the cavity and locating the main leglaterally outward from an edge of the housing when the base is in theextended position.
 16. The method of claim 12, further comprising movingthe articulating support along a rotational path that traverses adisplay plane defined by the display, the rotational path representingone of the alignment paths.
 17. The method of claim 12, furthercomprising movably coupling an upper lever arm to the main leg to definea pivot path having a range of motion that at least partially crosses infront of a front face of the display, the pivot path representing one ofthe alignment paths, the pivot path rotating about a pivot axisextending along a length of the main leg.
 18. The method of claim 12,wherein the upper lever arm is coupled to the main leg in a manner thatenables rotation of the lever arm relative to the main leg about thepivot path, and enables tilting the camera about a swivel path, theswivel path rotation about a swivel axis that extends along a length ofthe extension arm, the swivel path representing one of the alignmentpaths.
 19. The method of claim 12, further comprising performing a 3Dscanning operation of an object of interest in a field of view of thecamera.
 20. The method of claim 12, wherein the camera alignment pathssupport movement of the camera between active positions that include oneor more of: i) a birds eye view in which the main leg is oriented in agenerally horizontal direction or approximately perpendicular relativeto a front face of the display, ii) a frontal scene view in which themain leg is oriented in a generally vertical or common direction withthe front face of the display, iii) an intermediate position to providean overview in which the main leg is oriented at an intermediate anglerelative to the front face of the display.
 21. An electronic device,comprising: a housing; a display; a camera assembly including a cameraand an articulating support that includes a base and a main leg joinedto the base, the base and main leg movably coupled to the housingwherein movement of the articulating support defines camera alignmentpaths followed by the camera when moving between a retracted positionand active positions; and memory and one or more processors coupled tothe camera, wherein the one or more processors execute programinstructions stored in the memory to perform operations of an object ofinterest in a field of view of the camera.